Touching Clouds
by dragonartist5
Summary: Valka has always been different from everyone else. Struggling against the "kill or be killed" lifestyle of Berk, she must decide which side she's really on: The Vikings? Or dragons?
1. Chapter 1 - Racing The Wind

_**Disclaimer: The How To Train Your Dragon franchise belongs to Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks Animation, I own nothing! **_

**Chapter 1: Racing The Wind **

"I know, I'll be back soon!" Valka called over her shoulder, braids flowing behind her as she ran. She ran away from the village and the battle-bloodied axes. She ran away from her father, who wanted so desperately to make her a killer.

She ran to the only escape from all the hatred and lust for dragon blood that surrounded her. Valka ran to the woods. The wind whispered in her ear, calling her name. She narrowed her eyes, hands tucked to her sides. "Race you!" She challenged the breeze, adrenaline flowing in her veins. She was free.

When she arrived at the woods, she slowed, catching her breath. The trees swayed slightly, and morning sun filtered through the branches. Valka ventured quietly through the trees, listening to the birds twittering happily in the trees. "I'm here." She whispered, eyes bright with excitement. The wind blew louder, speaking words of comfort.

Valka came to a rocky cliff, its peak covered in soft wavy grass. She began to climb, feet and hands working the rocks with ease. When she reached the top, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes to listen to the wind. At the very edge, she stood, arms held outstretched to welcome the sea air, fingers stretching toward the clouds that resided just beyond her reach. "I want to fly." She whispered, opening her eyes.

A shadow suddenly covered the sun. Valka's eyes rose to the heavens, and she let out a small gasp. A Night Fury glided on the wind, graceful wings outstretched. The creature seemed harmless, peaceful, even, in the air. Valka stood and watched as the dragon flew, through the clouds she wished she could reach. "Treasure your gift." She whispered as she watched happily, the wind still blowing her knotted hair.

The forest. The only place she could escape and observe wonderful creatures at a distance. They weren't really dangerous, just beautiful, gentle creatures. Why couldn't anybody see that?

The Night Fury disappeared slowly, through the clouds, as though drawn higher by a powerful force. Such a beautiful thing, the gift of flight, the gift of freedom.

Valka stretched on the grass, staring at the sky. When the sun had reached its highest point, she left, racing the wind once more. She reached the village quickly, panting but overjoyed all the same. She had seen a Night Fury once again! Wonderful creatures they were, kings of the sky.

"Valka! Where have _you _been?" A boy her age teased, lifting a strand of knotted hair. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to braid properly?" He teased. "Oh, you idiot! I hate braids, they don't allow the wind to reach my ears." She replied, rolling her eyes. "You're so weird." He said, running off again. _Yes, I am. _She thought, returning to her house. "Valka!" A stern voice boomed. "I'm home!" She called. Her father stepped in her path. "We need to talk. I've been thinking, it may be time you start dragon training. It would be good for you, you need to learn how to be a killer." Her father said, handing her an axe.

Valka dropped the axe at her feet in defiance. "No. Dad, I don't want to fight dragons! I can't fight dragons. I can't kill them." Her father seemed to swell with anger. "YOU WILL LEARN TO KILL DRAGONS, YOUNG LADY! YOU DO AS I SAY!" He thundered, and she took a step backward. She had no choice but to give in. Stomping upstairs, she buried her head in her hands, clutching at the knots in her hair. "I will not harm you. I promise." She whispered, looking through the window, to the sky. In her mind's eye, she saw once again the Night Fury gliding in the sky. "I'll think of a way to solve this war." She said out loud to the creature, her eyes narrowing. She had to.


	2. Chapter 2 - Voices

Chapter 2: Voices

Valka went through dragon training with a heavy heart; axe in hand, her eyes downcast as she tried to keep from harming the innocent creatures held against their will. Couldn't they see how beautiful the creatures were? _Apparently not. _She thought as the boy, Stoick, heaved an axe at the Nadder who was running toward them. The blade sliced through the dragon's scales, creating a deep gash above the creature's eye. She turned away quickly with a sharp intake of breath. "Horrible."

When the training session was over, she escaped to the forest, her eyes searching once again for the Night Fury. The skies were empty, and the wind carried no hint of the creatures. A sudden urge to sing stole over her heart, and she opened her mouth, eyes still glued to the clouds.

_I'll swim and sail on savage seas,_

_With ne're a fear of drowning,_

_And gladly ride the waves of life . . ._

She trailed off, smiling to herself. She loved the song. She always had. It filled her with such joy and hope, hope that things could be better someday.

A rustle sounded behind her, and Valka whipped around, eyes narrowing. Stoick, the chief's son, stepped out from behind a tree, eyes wide. "What are you doing here?" He asked curiously. Her voice seemed to have failed her. No one had ever found this place. Her escape. "T-thinking." She muttered, turning away. Stoick stepped closer. "I heard you singing. I thought it was beautiful." He said sheepishly, the toe of his boot tracing in the mud. Valka smiled. "Thank you."

Stoick gestured to the forest behind him. "Well, I should probably go, so, yeah-" He trailed off. Valka nodded silently. "Well, bye." Stoick trudged off, and Valka felt her heart go warm. With one last glance at the sky, she followed Stoick back to the village on silent feet. When Valka reached the village, the boy was nowhere to be seen. The young teenager pushed Stoick from her mind, walking back to her house in silence.


	3. Chapter 3 - Escape

**Chapter 3: Escape**

Valka passed Dragon Training with her head down and her thoughts to herself. She did not harm the dragons, but avoided them, never so much as touching them. To no one's surprise, Stoick won the honor of killing his first dragon. The crowd cheered and screamed for him as he was awarded the victory, overjoyed that the Chief's son had lived up to his title. Valka let out a little moan. The blood of a dragon would be spilled.

When the morning of the final exam arrived, Valka decided to escape to the woods. She would not watch the death of an innocent creature. As she ran, silent tears crept down her cheeks. Why couldn't they see how wrong the whole thing was? She ran faster, the wind silent, as if already mourning the loss of the dragon that would die at the hands of her fellow Viking.

Valka reached her cliff, and climbed a tall tree near the edge, fingers gripping the branches nimbly as she climbed higher. At last, she came to the topmost branches, breaking through the netting of leaves with sigh. Never had she been this close to the clouds.

Valka reached her fingers to the sky, and called for the Night Fury. Called for the creature that brought her so much joy to see. But it never came. The skies were empty of the black dragon.

Valka waited in the trees for most of the day, trying not to think of the Kill Ring, and thinking of nothing else. At last, though, she decided to return.

The villagers were all talking excitedly to once another. "The beast took a single blow and was down! So young, Stoick, to kill the dragon with that much ease." The mutterings went on and on. Valka shut them out, returning to her house quickly. No sooner had she shut the door behind her, when her father appeared, his eyes full of anger. "Why weren't you at the Kill Ring this morning? I thought better of you. Ran off again did you? With your pointless little adventures! Bah! You of all people should have been there, as a fellow student." He paused, surveying her with rage. "Dad, I, uh . . ." But the Viking cut her off. "No more escaping off to the woods, lass. You are forbidden to leave the village, ever!" He yelled, pushing her to the side and storming out the door.

No. She couldn't let this happen. The one place she could escape to when she needed to. The only place she actually enjoyed being alive. The place she felt free. "Dad!" She screamed, her eyes filling with tears, but he did not hear her. Storming upstairs, she slammed the door of her small room, making the whole house shake. Valka sat on the bed, head in her hands. She wouldn't let him take her freedom from her. She would continue to go to the woods, and she would continue to watch as dragons flew in peace in the clouds.


	4. Chapter 4 - Where No One Goes

**Chapter 4: Where No One Goes**

And so, as Valka got older, she continued to race the wind through the forest. Valka climbed the trees, and she stood on her cliff and watched as the Night Fury glided. She ventured farther and farther from the village, and she discovered new places, new escapes. The tallest tree in which to touch the sky, the deepest river in which to swim, and longest path to race the wind. And in the forest, away from the 'kill or be killed' routine, she would sing. And she sang, she listened too, for the wind and the dragons that always sang back. Even on the quietest of days, when the wind was nowhere to be found and the branches hung deflated and empty, a dragon's roar could always be heard from the sky.

Valka grew into a strong young woman, with long brown hair that fell in knots to her waist. Yet, she never got tired of racing the wind or singing to clouds. Her father's disappointment in her grew, but she ignored it. She needed the woods and all it had to offer.

Stoick had followed her many times to the woods, she knew. He would hide behind a tree and listen to her sing, and then he would leave without a word. She didn't mind him there at all, and enjoyed his visits to her woods. Whenever he was around, somehow, she felt comforted, as if things could be better.

_I'll swim and sail on savage seas, _

_With ne're a fear of drowning_

_And gladly ride the waves of life_

She had been singing with her heart that day, sitting up in a tree, weaving vines into the knots in her hair. Suddenly, a rustle sounded below her, and out stepped Stoick, a small smile on his lips. "If you will marry me." He finished the verse. She dropped from the branches nimbly. "How do you know that song?" Valka asked. "I hear you singing." He replied. And then the impossible happened. Stoick puller her closer, and kissed her. Valka blinked in surprise, a smile still tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Beautiful." He whispered, and left. Valka stared in disbelief after him, her eyes wide with surprise.

The chief's son had kissed her! Why? Valka shook her head to clear it, raising a hand to touch her lips, where Stoick's own had been. When she returned to the village, night had fallen. No father greeted her at the door. And she returned to her room in silence, pondering the Viking's behavior. Why was he so interested in a girl who couldn't kill a dragon, and spent her hours in the forest, away from her people?


	5. Chapter 5 - Stoick

**Chapter 5: Stoick **

The news had spread that the great Stoick, son of the chief, had fallen for the girl who refused to kill a dragon. The girl who spent her days alone in the woods, the girl who tied her hair in knots rather than braids.

Yet, Stoick loved her, and she loved him. They spent their afternoons in the woods, and she shared all of her trees and paths rivers. She shared the best places to hear the wind; the tallest cliff and her favorite hillside, where they would lay together and let their worries drift away. And Stoick would listen to her sing for hours, his eyes trained on her smiling face. For once in her life, she was truly happy.

Valka stood in the kitchen of her home, trying to roast fish, but failing terribly. Why had she never learned to cook? She grumbled in frustration at all the pots and pans piled high. Stoick came merrily into the room, embracing her from behind. "Aye, there's my beautiful wife!" He boomed. He glanced at her disastrous attempt at a meal. "Maybe I should do the cooking?" He said, chuckling. Valka smiled. "Perhaps you should."

They had been married for a few short months, and already, they had gotten used to the 'new normal'. She smiled to herself as Stoick left to make his rounds.

Stoick was not only the chief, but now extremely good at fighting dragons. Whenever the word was mentioned, his hands would curl into fists and his expression would turn cold.

During raids, Valka was forced to fight, but she managed to limit the casualties among the creatures. Stoick passed her behavior off with a wave of his hand. "Normal! Normal to be weak at the sight of a dead creature, lass!" She allowed him to believe that it was just a weakness. But, it was much, much more. She was siding with the dragons; she was fighting against her own people. The thought filled her with dread. Yet, still, she continued to lead a double-life.

Desperately, she tried to stop the violence against them, but to no avail. It was a very unpopular idea. The creatures were harmless, she thought, as another was slayed before her eyes. Valka felt tears well in her eyes, as the creatures died, their magnificent bodies going limp as the life went out of them. What she wouldn't give for a world of peace.

Despite, the raids, life went on, and soon, Valka found herself carrying a child in her belly. She would be a mother! Overjoyed, she told Stoick, who gave a shout of joy, twirling her in his arms. "A child!" He would say, smiling wide under his beard. But, as the child grew inside her, so did her fear that it would become just life the rest. A killer.


	6. Chapter 6 - Captured

**Chapter 6: Captured**

Valka sang softly to the baby boy in her arms, smiling down at his freckled face. He was such a tiny thing, so frail and weak. Winter was coming, and she feared he would not make it through the harsh cold.

Yet, she loved Hiccup, singing and rocking him back and forth as he fell asleep. She loved the little boy in her arms more than anything in the world. He was a blessing, a gift.

How perfect he was, with his wide green eyes and the soft fuzz that covered his head. Her whole world was turned upside down when the baby arrived, and yet, nothing could be more perfect than the creation in her arms.

When he grew old enough, Valka took him to the cliff she loved. Hiccup blinked in the bright sunlight, his intelligent green eyes alight. Suddenly, a shadow covered the sun, and through the clouds, soared the Night Fury. She gave a cry of joy. "Look, Son, look at the beautiful dragon in the sky." She pointed, and Hiccup looked on, giggling as he spotted the Night Fury. "Dragons are innocent, peaceful creatures." She told him. "You must not kill them, son." She doubted he would understand.

Upon returning to the village, night had fallen, and the skies were peaceful and clear. Valka sat in her room, rocking Hiccup's crib as he fell asleep, his breathing soft and slow. Suddenly, a roar sounded from outside the house, and Valka's head whipped up.

Out the window, a fire burned on the ground, and a dark shadow flew among the stars. "No." She whispered, running out the door and into the village, a dagger in hand. Stoick was in the midst of the battle, swinging his battle-axe, eyes full of rage. "COME ON DEVILS!" He yelled, taking down a small Nadder with his axe. Valka turned her head away as she heard the sickening _shink_ of metal slicing through flesh. Tears crept into her eyes. "No." She said again.

A Monstrous Nightmare was shot down in front of her, its wings pinned to its sides, fire boiling in its nostrils. A Viking ran up to the creature, axe raised. Without thinking, Valka grabbed the man's writ, stopping the axe that would surely have found its mark if she had not stopped it. "Stop! You'll only made it worse!" She shouted. The man's face twisted with fury, and he wrenched his arm from her grasp, and turned back to the dragon, only to find it had escaped.

A roar sounded from above, and Valka looked to see a massive dragon crashing through the door of her house. Horror filled her heart. "No! HICCUP!" She screamed, rushing toward the house in panic. "Hiccup!" She screamed again, entering the shattered front of the house. Taking a sword off the wall, she turned to face the dragon. If she had to, she would protect her child.

What she saw inside that house would change her world forever. The dragon was crouched by Hiccup's crib, looking curiously at her son. The creature held out a claw to Hiccup, who giggled happily, a pudgy hand reaching out to touch the dragon.

She felt a small smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. Here was proof of everything she believed! The dragons were gentle, kind creatures.

The dragon leaned too much on the crib, and it jerked, causing the dragon's claw to cut open the soft skin on her son's cheek. Hiccup started to cry, the cut oozing blood. "Stop!" She cried, laying a hand on the dragon's shoulder. It turned on her, eyes bright with curiosity. She backed up quickly, staring into the yellow eyes of the dragon. She saw kindness and patience in those eyes. They were eyes that reflected her own.

Stoick suddenly burst through the broken wood, his eyes filled with fear. "Valka!" He shouted. The dragon turned on him, fire spouting from its mouth. Stoick dodged the flame, leaping to Hiccup's aid. He took up the child in his arms, axe still raised. Valka took a step toward her husband and son, but only to feel something seize her around the arms.

Valka was lifted into the air, and away from her village. "STOICK!" She screamed, struggling against the claws that held her. "Stoick!" She called again weakly, the sound of Hiccup's cries echoing in the sky. "Let me go!" She yelled, glancing up at her captor. The dragon with the yellow eyes was carrying her away from the village, high into the air. Fear was racing through her veins as she hung limp in the dragon's grasp. She needed to get back to her son! She struggled again, and this time, the dragon dropped her. She screamed, looking down to see herself speeding towards the sea. "Noooo!" She yelled as the affects of falling began to tug at her stomach.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared below her, and she landed gently on the dragon's back. She clung tight to one of the creature's spines. She was riding a dragon. She was flying. Still, the dragon made no move to harm her.

The creature flew through the starry sky for hours. It's graceful movements soothed her, and she calmed down enough to take in her surroundings. The moon was shining bright in the sky, and the sea lapped calmly below them. The dragon beneath her glided upward, ever higher in its kingdom of stars.

Valka hesitantly let go of the dragon, her hand reaching to touch the clouds. They were smooth to the touch, and wet. She laughed out loud, a wave of happiness flowing over her. All her life she wished for flight, and here she was, on the back of a dragon. She gave a cry of joy, arms outstretched like wings as they flew. The dragon's head turned to look up at her, and Valka could have sworn she saw a smile on its face.


End file.
